‘I Expect The President To Lie To The American People’ In Tuesday’s Prime-Time Address, Says Top Democrat

Donald Trump’s imminent prime-time address on immigration as the government shutdown continues well into the third week is already being panned by critics, with Jerry Nadler, who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, saying that he doesn’t expect anything from the president except that he will “lie to the American people,” according to the Hill.

Trump announced on Monday that he would be delivering a prime-time address on Tuesday night even as he struggles to bring an end to the shutdown. The current impasse came to be when Trump demanded that the Democrats agree to the $5 billion the administration needs to fund his border wall with Mexico, but the Democrats have refused to budge, making Trump increasingly desperate to try out other methods. As the Inquisitr reported last week, Trump even threatened Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi that he would continue the shutdown for “years” if they didn’t accede to his request. Shortly after, Trump announced that he would be willing to announce a “national emergency” if he doesn’t get his way.

Critics of the president allege that Donald Trump would be willing to stir up the hysteria of a possible security threat, or a “crisis” as he has called it, at the southern border during his address. There have been calls for networks to boycott his speech, with top Democrat Jerry Nadler saying that he expects Trump to “lie to the American people.”

“I expect the president to lie to the American people. Why do I expect this? Because he has been lying to the American people,” he said.

Nadler said that Trump’s claims of a security “crisis” at the southern border are fabricated. “The only emergency at the border is a humanitarian emergency,” Nadler added.

Joining with my colleagues after inspecting the border patrol station in #Alamogordo where an 8 year old boy named Felipe died on Christmas Eve. CC: @JoaquinCastrotx @RepTorresSmall @JeffMerkley @davidcicilline @gracenapolitano @RepBarragan @RepCarbajal @vgescobar pic.twitter.com/mSSTvAyIpy

— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) January 7, 2019

Ever since Trump suggested that he could declare a “national emergency” at the border if Democrats don’t accede to his demands, there has been rife speculation on whether or not the president would be within his rights to do so. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith had raised concern earlier by admitting that Trump could indeed declare an emergency, even though it would be open to challenges in court. Nadler suggested that any move like that by Trump would make him a tyrant.

“The courts should not permit it. I do not believe the courts will permit it, and we would certainly oppose any attempt by the president to make himself a king, a tyrant, by saying he can appropriate money without Congress.”

Trump’s Tuesday night prime-time address is expected to be carried out by all the major networks.